Free Woman, you will always cherish the sea!

The Newbie: First Month

Hello everyone, this time, from onboard a KLM Cityhopper, on my way to Bergen Norway. Yesterday was the last day of my training at CSMART in Almere, Netherlands and right now, I am getting ready to join the Rotterdam (the ship not the city) tomorrow morning from Bergen.

It has been a challenging training with 3 weeks onboard familiarization and 1 week at the training facility in Almere but hey, I made it! My mood went from anxious to happy to proud of myself to “I shouldn’t have said that”. I forgot how difficult it is to be the new hire, to feel lost and not feeling in control of the situation. I miss my old team but I am very happy with my first month experience in my new job. I miss my previous team because they were my comfort zone. They knew me and I knew them and it was easy! So easy and now it is not anymore and it makes me anxious every now and then. I know it is also a matter of time until I get the hang of it so, fingers cross to get over this “I’m the newbie” phase asap.

During these last few weeks I found myself thinking a lot of my first ship, the Costa Luminosa. It’s crazy when I think that 9 years have passed and it still feels like yesterday. I even met people from back then while I was in Almere. A little bit older a little bit wiser but somehow familiar cause of the memories we share. I also met people that remembered me from 3 years ago from my previous ship and others that knew me due to social media. At this point I am not sure if the it’s just a small world or the fact that I’ve been around the industry for quite a while. Either way, it is always nice to meet again with old friends and acquaintances.

So, Norway was awesome as usual, Netherlands crowded but with really good food and people. Looking forward to my next adventure cruising the North Atlantic and visiting Greenland for the first time. I admit, I am nervous as this will be the smallest ship I have ever been on and not sure what to expect. I hope for the best and really excited to be the EO again and not the trainee anymore.